BBC WORLDWIDE / DISCOVERY
Tuned In+Television | March 16, 2012

TV Weekend: Last March of the Penguins?

By James Poniewozik

Why do people love penguins so much? This weekend, Discovery’s Frozen Planet begins counting the ways.

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | April 11, 2011

The Morning After: Human, Nature

By James Poniewozik

The secret to the appeal of Discovery’s Human Planet, which debuted last night, is that it is as much about the second half of its title as the first. That’s not to say simply that it replicates much of the how-did-they-do-that camera wizardry of predecessors Planet Earth and Life. It’s also that it focuses on [...]

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Tuned In+News Media | September 2, 2010

The Discovery Gunman: TV as the Enemy, and as the Weapon

By James Poniewozik

James Lee, a 43-year-old man with a long history of grudges against Discovery’s networks and their programming, was shot and killed by police yesterday after he entered Discovery Communications headquarters with a gun and explosives and took hostages. None of the hostages were harmed. Lee left behind a manifesto that collected a grab-bag of screeds [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | March 23, 2010

Politician vs. Wild: Palin Reportedly to Become Reality-TV Star

By James Poniewozik

Does Sarah Palin aspire to be the next Ronald Reagan or the next Bear Grylls? She appears to be stepping closer to one of those goals at least, as Variety reports the former Alaska governor is signing a deal with Discovery for her proposed show “Sarah Palin’s Alaska.” If you’re expecting a Kardashians-style series, perhaps [...]

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Tuned In+March 19, 2010

TV Weekend: Discovery's Life, Up Close and Personal

By James Poniewozik

In 2007, Discovery aired the documentary series Planet Earth, which wowed critics, drew huge ratings and showed a nation of consumers what those new big-screen TVs were really for. An expansive nature documentary full of luscious, hard-to-get HD visuals, it combined a vaguely environmentalist vibe (illustrating the interconnectedness of life on the planet) with a [...]

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Tuned In+TV Networks | November 20, 2009

Oprah: Who Wins? Who Loses? And Is She Really Quitting?

By James Poniewozik

Oprah Winfrey made it official on air today: on Sept. 9, 2011, she pulls the plug on the talk show that has dominated daytime TV for two decades. Says the Queen: “Twenty-five years feels right in my bones and feels right in my spirit.” Mo Ryan has the full statement. (In related news, Discovery announced [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | July 21, 2009

TV Tonight: The Colony

By James Poniewozik

The first thing a TV critic notices watching the post-apocalyptic-scenario reality show The Colony (debuts tonight on Discovery) is how little use there is for TV criticism in a postapocalyptic scenario. The series, which throws together 10 people to survive holed up in a warehouse after a simulated epidemic has destroyed civilization, chooses a group [...]

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Tuned In+Advertising | July 15, 2009

But Wait—There's More! Billy Mays' TV Show to Live On

By James Poniewozik

I was on vacation when infomercial pitchman Billy Mays died, but beyond the obvious jokes (see this post’s headline), it was good to see him get his due at the end. Whatever you think of their products, advertisers, for better or worse, have an underappreciated effect on the culture of TV. Infomercials, in their way, [...]